Games with wireless communications capabilities

ABSTRACT

A plurality of games, whose members might be physically spaced apart, wirelessly communicate with a game management system. Communication can be on-demand and in real-time in response to on-going game play.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/502,016, filed Sep. 11, 2003.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention pertains to video games. More particularly, the invention pertains to game management systems which are in real-time wireless communication with pluralities of video games.

BACKGROUND

Systems are known for linking video games located in proximity to one another or spaced apart in separate locations to a common site via an electronic network. In a known implementation, access can be via the Internet over conventional telephone. A site on the network which is accessible to the various games can store game results player information, and other data. Games can be in intermittent communication with the site via a modem and telephone lines. Contests including but not limited to tournaments, leagues, and other forms of competition involving numerous players using spaced apart games can be implemented using a data collection and storage facility at the common site.

Such networked contests provide advantages for players and for contest operators. Players get to participate with a much larger pool of players than might otherwise be possible. Contest operators have centralized access to all of the game results for the competition even though the various game machines might be distributed over a wide area.

Despite the above noted benefits and advantages, networked games are only on the verge of exploiting the capabilities of the networked configuration. There continues to be a need for more efficient, easy configure multiple game systems.

One system is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/662,891 filed Sep. 15, 2003 entitled “Data Delivery and Management System and Method for Game Machines”, assigned to the assignee of the present application and incorporated herein by reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an overall diagram of a system in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a video game in accordance with the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there are shown in the drawing and will be described herein in detail specific embodiments thereof with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.

A system 10 enables location based game(s) A-1, -2 . . . -n to communicate wirelessly via antennas/towers B-1, -2 . . . -n with server(s) 14. The wireless communication along with the game hardware and software, a computer network such as Internet 16 and server side hardware and software 14 provide an always-available and/or always-on communication pipeline between the games A-1, -2 . . . -n and server(s) 14. Server(s) 14 can in turn communicate to a database or databases 20. The “always-on”-type communication protocol enables the respective game(s) A-1, -2 . . . -n to send and/or receive incremental packets of data and/or make requests substantially continuously in real-time, or, with short sample intervals, such as seconds, minutes or hours, as appropriate, between transmissions.

The games A-1, -2 . . . -n send and receive any type of data whenever needed. These communications would be accomplished without the use of hard-wired telephone lines or other types of physically wired network lines or other types of on-location communication access points that connect the games via wire to physical network lines or the like. Additionally players and operators of these location based games A-1, -2 . . . -n may send or receive data to and/or from both the above mentioned database(s) 20 or directly to the game(s) via monitoring computer(s) 22 with an Internet connection.

Location based games are often but are not limited to video games and other types of electromechanical games that can be but are not always placed in public locations. The owner of such a game, such as game A-1 would be able to easily place the game in any area where a prerequisite wireless service is available and electricity is available without needing any additional physical setup (such as a telephone line) to facilitate communications.

System 10 thus facilitates easy installation of a location based games, such as game A-1, that require and benefit from an always-available and/or an always-on method of communication. This method of communication enables games A-1, -2 . . . -n to avail themselves of unique game features previously deemed not to be feasible due to logistical and/or financial limitations.

The marriage of both the wireless connectivity as described above as well as unique game features that use and/or require this type of connectivity not just to the game(s) A-1, -2 . . . -n but also to remotely connected computers such as computer 22 that implement the system 10. Game features might include but are not limited to the following examples:

-   -   Instantaneous player identification providing the player up to         the minute personal statistics.     -   Player financial accounts used to pay for game time or to have         monetary prizes deposited into the previously mentioned         accounts.     -   The use of charge cards as a method of depositing money into         player accounts.     -   Real time competitions.     -   Instantaneous score tracking from games in other locations         around the world.     -   Remotely and instantaneously adjusting game variables via the         wireless connection from any Internet connected computer in the         world.     -   Immediate ability to remotely troubleshoot potential problems on         the games.

FIG. 2 illustrates a representative one of the video games, such as game A-i of FIG. 1. The game A-i is enclosed in a cabinet 30 and includes control circuitry 32 which could be implemented, at least in part, with a programmable processor 32 a and control programs, at least in part, stored on read-only memory 32 b. Read-write memory 32 c is provided for temporary storage.

The control circuits 32 are coupled to a display 34 and player manipulatable controls 36, for example, a track ball, buttons, switches and the like. The control circuits 32 are also coupled to a coin or credit card, credit establishing unit 40 as well as switches and other manually adjustable controls 42 which enable a game installer to provide a set of initial parameters for the game A-i. Control circuitry 32 is also in bi-directional communication with an input/output interface 46 which is in turn coupled to a wireless transceiver 48. The transceiver 48 transmits and receives wireless RF signals to and from displaced antennas, such as antenna B-1, via an antenna 50. A power supply 52 energizes the various circuits and units of the game A-i. It will be understood that none of the details of the exemplary game A-i are limitations of the present invention. The game A-i could implement a golf-playing scenario, a hunting scenario, a sports scenario such as bowling or the like all without limitation.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is, of course, intended to cover by the appended claims all such modification as fall with the scope of the claims. 

1. A system comprising: a plurality of video games, each game includes a wireless transceiver and control circuits coupled thereto as well as communications software; and a monitoring apparatus wirelessly coupled to the games, the monitoring apparatus including software for at least monitoring game play.
 2. A system as in claim 1 where the monitoring apparatus is coupled to the games, at least in part via a computer network.
 3. A system as in claim 1 which includes a database wirelessly coupled to the video games for storage of game play information.
 4. A system as in claim 1 which includes software wirelessly coupled to the games for carrying out diagnostic evaluation of at least some of the games.
 5. A system as in claim 1 which includes software, wirelessly coupled to the games, the software accumulates game play statistics.
 6. A system as in claim 5 which includes software wirelessly coupled to the games for carrying out a diagnostic evaluation of at least some of the games.
 7. A system as in claim 6 where the monitoring apparatus includes a graphical users interface with software that selectively displays game play statistics.
 8. A system as in claim 7 where the communications software provides on-demand, real-time transmission of game play data.
 9. A system as in claim 1 where the communications software provides on-demand, real-time transmission of game play data.
 10. A system as in claim 8 which includes player identification software which couples player related performance information to a selected game.
 11. A system as in claim 8 which includes financial account software which maintains player financial accounts.
 12. A system as in claim 11 which includes software, responsive to one of credit or debit cards, which establishes game play credits in respective player financial accounts.
 13. A system as in claim 8 which includes real-time competition software that enables game play at a plurality of games to be part of a single competitive activity.
 14. A system as in claim 8 which includes real-time tracking software that monitors scoring at a plurality of games while respective play is in process at those games.
 15. A method comprising: establishing wire-less communications, on a real-time basis, between a plurality of video games and a game play database.
 16. A method as in claim 15 which includes providing current player statistics, on demand, from the database.
 17. A method as in claim 15 which includes conducting real-time competitions between various members of the plurality.
 18. A method as in claim 17 which includes displaying competition information at various members of the plurality.
 19. A method as in claim 15 which includes maintaining player account information, on a real-time basis, in the database.
 20. A method as in claim 15 which includes wirelessly monitoring performance of at least one of the video games.
 21. A method as in claim 15 which includes wirelessly adjusting game variables of at least one of the video games.
 22. A method as in claim 20 which includes wirelessly adjusting game variables of at least one of the video games. 